“Brazen conspiracy”: California real estate agent selling mansions accused of spying for China
October 5, 2026, 9:24 p.m. ET
Federal authorities have accused a California real estate agent of spying on the son of Taiwan’s president in the United States.
Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather Zhang, was arrested Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, where she planned to board a flight to China. The 34-year-old resident of Irvine, Orange County, was charged with acting in the United States as an unregistered agent of the government of the People’s Republic of China.
According to Realtor.com, Zhang is a licensed real estate agent with JC Pacific Capital Inc. in Irvine and has sold more than 100 properties with an average value of $3.3 million.
“The complaint in this case exposes a brazen plot led by the Chinese government to conduct a covert surveillance mission on American soil,” Roman Rozhavsky, deputy director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Counterintelligence Division, said in a press release. “The arrest of Wanying Zhang, accused of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government, clearly demonstrates the lengths to which China’s authoritarian regime will go to advance its goals.
According to court documents, Zhang worked in the United States as an agent of the Chinese government between June and September 2025 without notifying the U.S. Attorney General as required by federal law.
During that time, under the direction and control of Chinese government officials, Zhang arranged with others to promote Chinese interests by surveilling the Seattle home of a family member of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The bureau did not directly name Zhang’s alleged target, but the FBI later shared a New York Post report identifying him as Lai Ting-yu, a U.S. resident and the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.
In June 2025, according to court documents, Zhang traveled from Southern California to China, where she met with Chinese government officials and was put in charge of U.S. surveillance. The documents say Zhang attended Beijing International Relations University, which is linked to China’s intelligence apparatus.
On Aug. 29, 2025, according to the documents, Zhang and another unidentified person left John Wayne Airport in Orange County for Las Vegas, then flew to Seattle three days later. As they were leaving, Zhang sent a photo of his boarding pass to someone believed to be a Chinese government official.
Upon arrival, Zhang and the other person rented a car and drove to Lai’s home where, according to an affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt, a neighbor’s security camera showed them apparently collecting phone camera footage of Lai’s car and his family arriving at the house.
Zhang sent a message to the government official saying, “I saw it, young man, it’s the young one. When the manager asked Zhang to join an audio call, according to the affidavit, she responded, “I’m recording video.”
In addition to the video footage, Zhang also sent the official license plate numbers of two vehicles parked in front of the house, the affidavit states.
China claims to govern Taiwan democratically as its own territory, despite the objections of the Taipei government, and has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, even if it claims to prefer “peaceful reunification”.
According to Holt’s affidavit, the surveillance was intended to gain potential leverage over the Taiwanese president in the event of a conflict.
“In addition to modernizing its military, the PRC has engaged in coercive activities that go beyond normal diplomatic, economic, and security activities, intended to erode Taiwan’s willingness to wage war against China,” Holt wrote.
If convicted, Zhang faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
“Protecting our national security means confronting foreign governments that engage in covert operations in our country,” said Bill Essayli, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California.
Earlier this year, a Southern California man was sentenced to a four-year federal sentence for operating covertly as a Chinese agent while serving as a campaign adviser to a local city council candidate, carrying out orders that included surveillance of Taiwan’s former president during his 2023 visit to California.
With a report from Reuters.
Gn usa
